A Primal Reaction
by Deliciously-Devient
Summary: In which Steve longs for the Science Boyfriends, and they plot to have him.
1. Chapter 1

Steve was not lonely. Nope, not one bit. He didn't care that he had been yanked out of his time and thrust into the future to save the world, again, or that everyone he had ever known or loved was dead and gone.

Nope. He didn't care one bit.

It most certainly did not get to him on a deep intellectual level. It didn't pull on his heart strings when he saw the rest of the team pairing up when he was still alone. It didn't feel like a knife twisting in his gut every time he saw Natasha give Clint an affectionate kiss, or when Bruce and Tony were cuddled on the couch, watching a movie.

He didn't want to be in a relationship.

_That's a damn lie and you know it, Rogers,_ he thought to himself as he flung yet another punching bag across the room from the force of his roundhouse kick. It joined the pile of broken and dismembered bags in the same general area; it was the seventeenth one to fall that day. Steve ran a frustrated hand through his hair -it was entirely too long, it had been two months since his last haircut- and wished, for the hundrenth time, that he had a mission to complete to keep his mind off his thoughts of loneliness. But the world had be surprisingly quiet; no super villains -aside from Doctor Doom, and he wasn't really a villain so much as a superhero who told everyone he was the only villain allowed to exist- no terrorist groups and no alien invasions had cropped up in a little over four months. It was almost as if, after the last intensely bloody battle they had fought with a raving lunatic, the universe had decided that they needed a break.

It was driving Steve insane.

When he didn't have a team to lead, a mission to complete, a threat to eliminate...he didn't know what to do with himself. He had no real hobby to throw himself into. He liked drawing, but after three hours of it, it sickened him almost as much doing nothing did. There were only so many things he could draw, and didn't know how to work the computers, and he was barely able to work JARVIS. He always felt stupid talking to thin air, and it never ceased to shock him when the AI answered back.

"Stressed much, Spangles?" came the voice of, really, the last man he wanted to see right now. He and Tony had become good friends after their initial rough start, but the man was still insufferably annoying when Steve was in this kind of mood.

"Stressed doesn't begin to cover it," he muttered, and considered the punching bag that lay near his feet, whole and unbroken, ready to join its breathren in the discard corner...and decided he'd had enough violence for one day.

"How about some shwarma? Me and Doctor Angry were gonna go grab some, and he insisted I come get you. He said something about 'unhealthy seperation tendancies' or some other nonsense," Tony said, and, against his will, Steve found himself smiling. Both Tony's exuberance and Bruce's caring nature joined in his mind to make him feel lighter than he had moments ago.

"Sure," he said, grabbing one of the soft, fluffy white towels that Tony kept the gym stocked with. He wiped what little sweat there was off his face -really, it was still disconcerting that he exerted so little effort during such a strenous workout- and followed Tony out the door and to the elevator.

They were in relative silence for a few moments, before Tony sighed and scuffed his boot on the shiny floor. "You know, Spangles, Bruce is worried about you...we all are, really. You don't talk to anyone...or socialize beyond the team...lately you've hardly talked to anyone at all.."

Steve tensed slightly, and his full mouth set in a hard line. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable talking about something so personal," he said stiffly, and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Dude, we've saved the world together, what? Ten times now? And jailed and or killed how many villains and superthings? I think we count as friends now," the billionaire groused, narrowing his wide, brown eyes at the super solider.

Steve refused to meet Tony's eyes, fearing he would see the reason he had become so surly in his eyes, and eagerly exited the elevator when the doors opened. "I just don't want to talk about it. We aren't that close," he said tersely, and saw Tony flinch out of the corner of his eye. He felt bad for making Tony feel like he wasn't his friend -if he were being truthful, Tony was one of his only friends- but he would throw himself into a fire before he admitted his weakness.

Bruce met them in the hall, his quiet smile lifting Steve's heart for a moment before he viciously stomped on the tender feeling with his boots. He nodded to the scientist, ignoring the uncomfortable lurch his stomach gave when he saw his friends twine their fingers together, and he led the way to the private garage Tony kept for his cars, and smiled stiffly at Happy when the man greeted him.

Tony herded them into the back of a limo, and somehow, Steve found himself wedged between Tony and Bruce, staring at his hands and giving monosyllabic answers when either of them asked him questions, and stared resolutely forward. He should have stayed back at the tower...he should have told the billionaire he didn't feel like going out and went up in his room and drawn to quell the growing uneasiness in his gut.

He realized with a dawning feeling of apprehension that they had stopped, but neither Bruce nor Tony had made any move to exit the vehicle, and Happy was invisble behind the partition.

"Um..shouldn't we be getting out?" Steve said softly, and was met with two pairs of intense brown eyes staring at him from both sides.

"Steve...are you lonely?" Bruce asked in his soft, quiet way. Steve felt his cheeks heat up, and he turned his eyes away from Bruce, only to be met by Tony's intense but strangely soft gaze.

"Why would I be lonely?" he muttered eventually, when it became apparent that neither man was going to let him out of the limo without an answer.

"Don't play dumb, Capsicle, there are a hundred reasons why you would be lonely, and I've seen that look on your face when you see me and Bruce or Nat and Clint getting all lovey dovey in front of you," Tony said, a slight edge to his voice that Steve had never heard before.

"What does it matter if I am?" he burst out, getting angry. What, just because they were happy didn't mean everyone around them had to be. Of all tyhe presumtious, poumpous, _ridiculous_-

"It matters because Tony and I love you, and want you to be happy," Bruce said softly, and all the anger drained out of him and he slumped his shoulders.

"Yeah well, I don't see that happening any time soon," he said sourly.

"Why not?" Bruce asked. "Why can't you be happy?"

Steve stared resolutely at his hands as if they were the most fascinating thing he had ever seen, his shoulders hunched and head down. Because of this, he didn't see the loaded look Bruce and Tony shared, one that bespoke of weeks, _months_ of planning.

"There's no one for me," Steve muttered eventually when it became apparent that they weren't going to speak or let him out without an answer. "It's not like I can date a civilian; it would just make them a target..."

"You could be with us, Cap," Tony said softly, and Steve's head shot up to look at the billionaire as if he had lost a few screws.

"What do you mean?" he said, confused. "You and Bruce are..."

He drifted off when the scientist in question slid an arm around his shoulders. "If there's one thing I've learned in my life, Steven, it's that the heart always has room for one more," Bruce murmured softly, his breath ghosting across Steve's cheek, and Tony was on his other side, pressing a not-so-chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth, and they were both _so close_ and his cheeks were flushed and he didn't quite understand what was going on, but Bruce was kissing him gently, and then Tony was kissing him not-so-gently, teeth nipping at his sensitive lower lips and it was all too _much._

But he couldn't find it in himself to push them away, because _God, _this is what he wanted, this closeness, this affection that he could feel in the way the two sets of lips moved against his and four hands were sliding over his body and it was fantastic, and oh fuck Tony was reaching down his pants and were they really going to do this in the limo, where anyone could see?

The blare of his alarm jarred him out of his dream, and he groaned, rolling over to crush the damn thing with a fist and dammit that was a bad idea because rolling over on morning wood was painful.

Steve sat up, putting his head in his hands and groaning softly. This was the sixth dream he'd had like this in the past month, after he had realized that he wanted the kind of affection a relationship brought, and that he had crushes on both the Science Boyfriends, as Tumblr had dubbed Tony and Bruce. He sighed to himself and got up, muttering about dream-crushing reality and stepped into his shower to deal with the aching hardness between his legs.

He refused to think about the fact that he cried out both the names of his crushes at his orgasm, refused to even acknowledge he was hopelessly in love with the two of them once he stepped out of the shower, and put on his Captain America mask, the one that hid all his emotions and longings behind the leader of the Avengers, and went downstairs to have his breakfast.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews; I can't tell you how good it feels to know people actually read the dribble that spills forth from my fingertips. And a special thanks to Ravenclaw Slytherin, who is the first of the people to review who also read A Chemical Reaction; now, I think A Primal Reaction can be read alone, but if you want to know how Bruce and Tony got together, then maybe you should read that as well. Anyway, my ramble is done, and please, any suggestions you have for this story are welcome because I'm fairly plotless at the moment.

Tony Stark was, in every sense of the phrase, an overgrown man child. He was always tinkering with some new gadget or other, threw fits when he didn't get his way, and begged and whined until whoever he was begging or whining at gave in. So when Bruce wouldn't give in when he wanted the leggy brunette to top...well, saying that he was vexed would be a horrendous understatement.

He and Bruce had had their worst fight over the matter. It had almost ended their relationship, the fight had been so bad. They had both exchanged angry, hurtful words, and they both nearly come to blows. Bruce had Hulked out twice, something that had caused the fight to last well into two days. And when it had finally ended, when Tony was a shivering, sobbing wreck, and Bruce's limbs were so weakened he could barely stand, they had held each other tightly and whispered words of apology and love; Tony had resolved to never let something so stupid come between them like that again, because he loved Bruce, he really did. He had just missed the intimacy of being taken, and wistfully imagined his Bruce doing that for him.

It was Bruce who had suggested they find another partner, one who could fulfill Tony's needs as well as Bruce's.

"What do you mean by that?" Tony had snapped, his temper flaring at the thought of Bruce needing something Tony couldn't give him.

Bruce had smiled and kissed his cheek placatingly, petting his thick brown hair in the way that always made him boneless. "I mean, if you really want that intimacy, maybe we should try to find someone else, someone we can both love, who will give us both what we need," he murmured softly, and Tony felt his temper die down. Bruce was being Bruce, trying to fix what he thought was wrong.

"You mean like polygamy or something?" he asked, curious now that anger wasn't hot in his veins. Bruce nodded against Tony's shoulder, his lips brushing the billionaire's clavicle.

"Yeah, basically. But more intimate; it would be a sort of sharing between all three of us. And I think I have the perfect person in mind," Bruce had said, and Tony had frowned at him, wondering exactly how much thought Bruce had put into this. Was he not satisfying his lover?

"Who?" he had asked, instead of interrogating Bruce about his inadequacies. That conversation would only wound his pride.

"Steve," Bruce had replied readily, kissing Tony's temple in an attempt to butter him up; he always went for the temple when he thought he was going to say something that would upset him.

Instead of responding immediately and harshly, Tony took a few moment to think about it. Steve was one of the only unattached member of the Avengers; Tony could tell he was lonely, having been afflicted with that condition for most of his life to see it in someone else. Steve would also top him, no questions asked, and he and Bruce already loved him like a best friend; it wouldn't be hard to love him as a lover. In fact, Tony thought as he considered the super solider's body in his mind, it wouldn't be that hard at all. He had certainly entertained a few Cap-based fantasies before, especially in his teen years; something he was, in no uncertain terms, never, ever going to tell anyone. Ever.

"Okay," he said slowly, nodding. "I can see that, yeah."

"Really?" Bruce asked, his eyebrows brushing his hairline in his surprise. He obviously hadn't thought Tony would agree to his choice.

Tony nodded his head again. "Yeah. I think he'd be a good element to add to our bubbling beaker of science. And I think I know how to go about seducing him with our awesomeness," he added with his trademark grin.

Bruce's answering grin was more sedated, but no less mischievous as he listened to Tony's slowly forming plan.

Steve was suspicious. Clint, Natasha, Thor and Agent Coulson were all out on various things, and he had been cornered by Bruce to watch a movie with him and Tony. The two science bros _never _let anyone watch movies with them except on movie night. And it was decidedly Wednesday. But Bruce would not take no for an answer, and quietly herded him into the movie lounge, shoving a bowl of popcorn in his hands, and he soon found himself wedged between Tony and Bruce, his feet dangling off the large, velvet couch. It was a testament both to his height and the couches length that his feet dangled like that.

_This is nice, _he thought to himself, crunching popcorn quietly as the opening scene of the movie Brave started. He would never admit it to a soul, but he had quietly become addicted to Disney movies in the new century. He had endeavored to learn how to use the DVD player in his room, and he had seen Brave probably five times now, and it was one of his favorites.

As the movie progressed, Bruce leaned closer and closer to him, until Steve finally gave in and wrapped his arm around the scientists shoulders, because really, that had to be an uncomfortable angle of his neck. Bruce made a soft mewling sound of pleasure and nuzzled into the crook of Steve's shoulder. A little while later, Steve heard the soft, deep breathing that signaled Bruce was asleep, and he gave a start when he the scientist shifted, his arm wrapping around the super soliders waist.

"Sorry about that," Tony murmured softly, his deep brown eyes sparkling with mirth. "He's a bit of a cuddle bug when he's asleep. He denies it to the death when he's awake though."

Steve smiled softly and shrugged slightly, so as not to disturb Bruce. "It's okay. I don't mind at all," he murmured quietly.

"Oh? Then I won't feel bad about this," Tony said with a grin, and before Steve could as what he was talking about, the billionaire had shoved the bowl of popcorn of the super soliders lap and replaced it with his head, nuzzling his thigh like one might nuzzle into a pillow.

He was suddenly glad for the dimness of the movie lounge, because he could feel his cheeks flame. "Uh..Tony?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Laying on you."

"Why?"

"You're letting Bruce do it. And Bruce and I share everything."

"Oh. Tony?"

"Yes?"

"Could you...move closer to my knee then?"

Tony smirked, but moved his head away from Steve's crotch and they continued to watch the movie in comfortable silence, Steve covertly pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming again. When the pain stung his palm, he grinned to himself, and relaxed, knowing he would treasure this memory for the weeks to come. This was good. This felt right.

He tried to tell himself this was enough.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wow guys. Wow. I'm like…totally speechless at the reaction to this story. I am well and truly touched by your support, and I will endeavor to make this one of my best works. Thanks for all those reviews, and please keep them coming. They really do make me write faster.

Steve wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but whenever he walked into the lab to impart a message from Agent Coulson or ask Bruce about one technological conundrum or another, they always jumped apart and looked vaguely guilty, as if he had caught them kissing. It was happening with alarming frequency, and he was getting increasingly suspicious, because the last time they had acted like this The Great Night of Slime had happened.

It was a blistering Saturday afternoon when it happened again. Steve had just returned to the tower after his daily run, sweat dripping off him in buckets, and not even the cold sting of an icy shower had lowered his temperature and the heat seemed to pierce right through the air conditioners of the tower. Steve was thinking longingly of a dip in a cold pool composed of ice water and trying to get the blender to work because he was in dire need of a milk shake.

He walked down to the lab, pressed in his key with practiced ease, and the question was on his lips. He really meant to ask about the blender. He really, truly did, but an indescribable rage filled his chest when he saw them jump apart guiltily, as if he were some stranger they had to keep secrets from. He couldn't even begin to analyze the odd hurt and anger that coursed through him, and the heat of the day couldn't have helped at all.

"Would you two just _stop _already?" he snapped, a rough growl to his voice he had never heard before. "Nobody gives a _flying fuck _what you two get up to down here, so you don't have to keep jumping apart whenever I come down here like I'll even have the _slightest fucking clue_ as to what you're doing!"

The two scientists blinked at him, looking flabbergasted and dumbfounded. Steve never cussed, not even in the middle of a battle.

"Steve, what-"

"Shut _up, _Stark. You damn well know what I'm talking about, and I'm fucking sick of it!" Steve spat, and turned on his heel and stormed out of the lab. He was slamming the door of his room before he realized there were tears in his eyes, and he flung himself at his desk, snatching up a pencil and his drawing pad. The familiar scratch of the pencil against paper calmed him slightly, and his hands were shaping harsh lines and dark shades before he really knew what he was drawing.

Tears blurred his vision, but his hand moved steadily, surely, over the white page, darkening it. Drops dribbled onto the paper, and he steadfastly ignored the growing hysteria he felt bubbling in his chest.

When his hand stopped moving over the paper, Steve actually looked at what he had drawn, and the sight of it nearly sent him into another rage. He flung the drawing of himself, before the serum and crouched in a dark corner, across the room where the sketching pad thunked into the wall dully. A choked, heartbroken cry escaped his throat and he threw himself on his bed, burying his face into his pillow.

_This isn't fair, _was his only thought as he sobbed into the soft, silk goose-down pillow. It wasn't fair that he had lost the only woman he had ever cared about. It wasn't fair that his best friend was thirty years dead. It wasn't fair that he didn't know anything about this century or its technology, and it wasn't fair that he couldn't have the intimacy and love he craved

It wasn't fair that he was alive.

That thought only mad him sob harder, great, wracking sobs that filled his lungs with phlegm and made his head pound. He hadn't cried since he was twelve years old, knowing crying in front of his bullies would only get him a worse beating, and now that he was started, he couldn't stop.

He didn't know how long he lay there, sobbing, his lungs burning and his face feeling slimy with tears, but he felt hands on his shoulders and back, vaguely heard soothing words whispered in his ear, pleading for him to calm down and talk about it.

X0x0x0x0X

"What the hell was _that _about?" Tony said, his eyes wide and confused as he watched Steve storm out of the lab. Bruce frowned, looking just as befuddled as Tony felt.

Of course, being the more socially apt of the two, he figured it out first. "I think… I think we've made him jealous. And sad," he murmured.

"What? Why? _How?_" Tony asked incredulously.

"Think about it Tony. He's seventy years out of his comfort zone. He's the only single man in a house full of couples. He probably feels alone and abandoned, and seeing you and I together all the time probably set him off," Bruce said reasonably.

Tony thought about that for a few moments and then nodded. "You're probably right…god I feel like an ass now."

"You are an ass, Tony," Bruce murmured, eyes glimmering with mirth.

"Oh, ha ha Banner. You're a real comedian, you know that? A regular Dane Cook," Tony said, nudging his lover with his shoulder playfully. Bruce nudged him back, a little more forceful than necessary, and then it was on.

Tony shoved Bruce against the workbench, his eyes narrowed and his lips parted slightly.

"So you wanna play rough with me, hmm, Banner?" he growled and Bruce opened his mouth to answer only to have Tony's hot, demanding tongue shoved down his throat in a bruising kiss. His retort died on his tongue, and he moaned, his long arms winding around Tony's waist to draw him closer,

Shirts were quickly discarded in favor or the rough drag of skin against skin, the harsh whir of the arc reactor a delicious friction against Bruce's chest. His nails dug into the billionaires back as he found that delicious spot just beneath his ear that was oh-so-sensitive, and _gods _Tony knew how to make him hard and aching in minutes. He tugged the billionaire's head away from the patch of skin he was bruising with the suction of his mouth and crushed his lips to his lovers, his teeth nipping at Tony's lower lip, his eyes a brilliant green that betrayed his arousal.

Tony's fingers were working furiously at at Bruce's belt, and he was cursing the contraption even as he palmed the hardness of his lover with a groan.

"Sir?" came the cool, collected voice of JARVIS.

"What?" Tony snapped. "I'm kind of busy here if you hadn't noticed."

"You told me to inform you if any of the Avengers showed excessively violent signs of distress. Captain Rogers had been sobbing for nearly forty five minutes in his room, and has bent his bedframe by punching it repeatedly."

Bruce pulled away from Tony, and the billionaire sighed even as he frowned in consternation. "Thanks JARVIS. We'll take care of it."

"We will?" Bruce murmured. Tony nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go comfort our future lover."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks again for all the support guys. You really, truly make this story easier to write when I know someone is actually reading this dribble. I do apologize for the brevity, but I've been taking quickness over quantity as of late, but I intend to change that soon. This chapter should be about fifteen hundred words, and all after should be as well…and if they aren't you have permission to beat me with a limp noodle.

Bruce felt his heart twist horribly in his chest when he heard the full body sobs forcing their way out of Steve's chest. Their plan had been to come in and coax Steve out of the room and into the movie lounge where they would shower him with soft touches and attention, but the moment Bruce laid eyes on him he knew that he couldn't go through with that plan.

He was moving to the bed before he realized it, and he vaguely saw Tony mirroring him, an odd look on his face, but then he was on the bed, his hands sliding up Steve's back, offering comfort.

"Steve," he murmured, gently stroking tense shoulders and biceps. "Steve, sweetheart, shhh, look at me. Come on, hush, come here."

Tony was doing something similar, stroking Steve's hair and his hair and what little of his face that he could reach. Tony didn't speak, just touched and soothed with his rough, calloused hands, and Bruce murmured soft words to their captain. It seemed like hours before his heartbroken sobs receded, and longer still for his sniffles and broken cries of heartache to quiet.

Steve had been coaxed into sitting up and his head was now buried in Bruce's chest, Tony drawing slow, soothing circles on his back as the three of them sat on the bed. He still sniffled occasionally, and both scientists knew they had a long talk ahead of them filled with lots of feelings and whatnot, but despite that, the moment was near perfect. It was if a piece of them they hadn't known was missing was suddenly there, fulfilling the slot they had overlooked. It had been like that on the day they had watched Brave together, and it had been there when the three of them had shared a quiet meal together a few weeks prior but now… now it was blatant where before it had been subtle. Now it was loud and bright and multi colored where before it had been quiet and muted gray.

Steve was what they had been missing.

Bruce smiled to himself as he realized his hypothesis had been correct; Steve was exactly what they needed to make his and Tony's duo a perfectly balanced trio. Steve would be the milk to their acid, the sodium to their chloride. He would complete them, balance out their volatile equation. He would be sweet and gentle when Bruce was near his breaking point; he would be rough and forceful when Tony needed to feel taken care of; and they would be his grounding point when he was lost.

"Thank you," Steve murmured softly, his voice muffled by Bruce's purple shirt.

"Don't mention it Cap," Tony said softly. His fingers threaded through Steve's soft blond locks, and his expression was tender as he gazed down at the super solider. "You would do the same for us."

Steve pulled away from Bruce, and the scientist felt a little pang of loss. The captain wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and gave a little smile. "Yeah, I suppose I would," he said. He began to scoot away, and before Bruce could voice his protest, Tony was pushing Steve back.

"Whoa there, Cap. Where do you think you're going?" the billionaire demanded and Steve frowned at him, looking adorably confused.

"Well…the moment's over… I'm grateful you both stayed with me but you have work to do don't you?" he said, and Bruce's heart nearly broke with sympathy.

"Steve, we don't have anything to do that can't wait. You're much more important than any project," Bruce said quietly, giving into his urge to hug the man tightly against his chest. Really, he looked like a kicked puppy.

Steve was stiff in his arms, and when Bruce pulled back, his blue eyes were shuttered and Bruce could have shaken him. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. I don't need your pity."

Tony snorted. "Steve, that is the biggest load of shit I have ever heard, and I listen to myself think every day. And who said we were offering you pity? We just want to comfort you. We love you."

The last sentence was said with such a tenderness that it had both Steve and Bruce blinking with the feeling they heard in Tony's voice. The billionaire blushed slightly as he realized his bad boy cover was blown, but Tony was never one to dally in regret. He lifted his hand and cupped Steve's cheek, smiling slightly as he brushed the super soldiers cheekbone with his thumb.

Bruce could practically hear the gears turning in Steve's mind, and he smiled as he wrapped his arms around the man from behind, resting his chin on one broad shoulder. "We care about you, Steve. We know you're lonely, and we just want to help you," he murmured, and after a questioning look at Tony, he kissed Steve's throat gently.

Steve stiffened immediately, and he made a move as if to pull away, but Bruce tightened his arms around him, and continued his chaste kissing of the super soldiers throat, watching Tony speculatively.

X0x0x0x0X

Tony was nearly breathless as his thumb continued it's gentle caressing of Steve's cheek, and he felt his mouth go dry as he saw Bruce planting those cutesy, half kisses on Steve's neck, and he felt himself yearning for a taste of the good captain. He saw the approval in Bruce's eyes, and he leaned closer and closer to Steve, his eyes zeroed in on those lush, full lips, moving at a near glacial pace. He gave Steve plenty of time to turn away, to break out of Bruce's grip and run away screaming, but the captain only fluttered his eyelashes in a virginal way that had need tightening in Tony's gut. Down boy, he thought to himself, and then he stopped thinking.

Their lips had met, soft and tentative and explosive, because _sweet Jesus, _this is exactly what he needed. It wasn't nearly as heated as kissing Bruce always was; no, nothing could compare to the chemical fire that was Bruce Banner. It was…soft at first, and as Steve relaxed, demanding. Large hands found their way into his hair, cupping the back of his head, teeth nipping at his lower lip, taking control and dominating his mouth in a way that no one else had ever dared to dominate. Of course kissing Steve would be like this; he _was _a captain after all.

When the need for air drove him away from a dazed-looking Captain America, Tony shared a grin with Bruce before Steve turned his head, catching the biologists lips with his own, and _God fucking damn, _had he and Tony looked that hot to Bruce? Because if it was, Bruce must be a hard, aching mess right now and that tongue-tango he was doing with Steve could hardly be helping. Steve was all soft lips and demanding tongue and nipping teeth; he didn't know who had taught him to kiss like that, but he wanted to thank them ten times over.

X0x0x0x0X

Steve was dreaming. He had to be, right? He had cried himself to sleep and this was his brain rewarding him for his misery. But then Bruce bit his lip, hard enough to draw a taste of copper from his mouth, and he knew, with sudden, blinding clarity, that this was _really happening._

The thought made him freak the fuck out.

"Oh god. Oh god," he muttered, pulling back from Bruce, his back hitting Tony's chest, and he felt a constriction on his lungs similar to an asthma attack, but he knew that he couldn't have those anymore. "What are we…what is…oh god. No. No, no, no."

"Whoa, hey Cap, calm down," Tony murmured, his brow furrowed in concern as he petted Steve's shoulders.

"Pinch me. Seriously. Because I'm dreaming, right? You wouldn't…not in real life…"

Bruce frowned at him, and he yelped suddenly as a sharp pain in his ass appeared.

"Look Steven Rogers, you are _not _dreaming," Tony growled, and he seemed genuinely angry. "This is happening. We want you. We've been plotting for weeks to seduce you."

Steve felt at once elated and shockingly hurt. "So…you want to…to _fuck _me?" he asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"Yes! I mean no! Dammit, Bruce, reason with the princess!" Tony said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. Bruce shot Tony a glare, and his gaze turned soft as he looked at Steve.

"We want you to be with us; we want to be with you, Steve. We want you to make us whole," he said softly, ending his sentence with a soft kiss to Steve's lips.

Steve blinked, looked between the earnest doctor and the irate billionaire, and felt a smile tugging at his lips. "You…mean it?" he asked slowly.

"Of course we mean it! Jesus, are you always this dense?" Tony demanded, and received a smack upside the head for his troubles. Steve mentally filed away in his brain that Bruce was not a man to be crossed.

He grinned at the two scientists, and then pressed a soft kiss to Tony's lips, then Bruce's.

"I think I can get behind this."


	5. Chapter 5

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? YOU'RE A DICK!"

"That's exactly why I would do that."

"I SPENT SO MUCH TIME ON THAT! IT'S THE BEST THING I MADE!"

"Oh come on Cap, you can do better than that shack. It wasn't even made of planks. How many trees did you have to cut down to get it that big anyway?"

"Too fucking many…I'm going to burn your house down, you dick."

"Good luck with that."

"Can you guys be quiet? I'm trying to get diamond over here."

"Sure thing Brucey- what the….WHO FUCKING FLOODED MY MINE WITH LAVA?"

Bruce smothered a snicker, but not before Tony saw the smirk on his face.

"You are un-fucking-believable Bruce," he groused, glaring at the man a few feet away before turning his eyes back to his screen, trying to see if he could fix the damage done to his damaged mine.

"I had so many chests down there… you fucking flooded it from the bottom, didn't you, you fucking prick," Tony muttered, vainly trying to pick up the offending lava with buckets.

"You burned Steve's house down for no reason," Bruce chimed.

"Yeah, but I'm a dick. You expect it from me," Tony quipped back, and then looked to his right, glaring at Steve. He was being suspiciously quiet. "What are you doing over there, Cap?"

"Nothing," Steve said, a little too quickly. Tony was about to turn away, thinking the super soldier had become engrossed with another house that Tony would eventually burn down or blow up, when his character made the trademark "Oomph" sound, and he was on fire.

"WHAT THE FUCK, WHO PUSHED ME INTO THE LAVA?!" he shouted, trying desperately to get out of the liquid, but it was too late. He died, and the respawn screen came up.

Steve was cackling like a madman, and Tony knew. "You..you…you _douche bag!_" he screeched, and he rose from his chair to tackle the super soldier. It was not the first time this had happened in the four hours they had spent playing Minecraft, but it was the first time Tony had done the attacking. His fists were quickly caught by the laughing captain, and no matter how hard he thrashed, he couldn't escape the iron grip of Steve.

"I can't believe you pushed me into the lava," he muttered petulantly, going limp and laying his dead weight on Steve in favor of pummeling him.

"You've destroyed the last three houses I've tried to make. You deserved it," Steve replied, unrepentant.

Tony scowled, and dug his elbow into the captains rock hard abs, grinning in satisfaction at the little whimper he gave.

He was not expecting the sudden, sharp bite on his ear, or the cackling laugh of Bruce as his exposed ass was swatted. Hard.

"Hey! No fair, I can't move!" he whined, struggling against Steve's grip again, only to have the muscled arms curl around him tighter.

"I think Tony deserves a spanking, don't you Steve?" Bruce murmured, and there was an evil glint in his eyes that Tony did not like _one bit._

"Hmm. I think you're right. He deserves a proper thrashing," Steve said conversationally, and before Tony could voice another protest, or try to struggle away from Steve, he was placed over Steve's knee, his arms clamped firmly between those iron-like thighs, his chin resting on Steve's leg, his ass in the air.

"Now wait just a minute, I didn't sign up for this!" Tony squealed, making a token struggle for freedom. If he was brutally honest with himself, this had always been a bit of a fantasy of his. Being spanked was…something of a kink for him, but he'd never indulged himself before.

"It doesn't matter. You had this coming," Bruce said, and delivered the first swat, his palm open and stinging Tony's ass through his jeans. He didn't make a sound other than an indignant squeal, and Steve grinned.

"Now Bruce, I think a proper spanking requires a bare bottom," he said, and he and the biologist tugged down Tony's jeans amidst protests and pleas for freedom.

Steve's rough palm descended on the billionaire's exposed bottom next, stinging but still gentle, making a pained whimper escape his lips.

"Hey, I heard you guys were play-what is going on here?"

Steve, Bruce, and Tony all turned to look at Clint, who was looking thoroughly nonplused, all with rather guilty looks on their faces.

"Erm…Tony burned down my house…so I'm spanking him," Steve said, his muscles going lax enough for Tony to wriggle out of his grip and fall on the floor.

"Right," Clint said, and shook his head as he looked at the screens and took an unoccupied seat. "So…let's Minecraft," he said, and the other three scrambled back to their chairs, Tony pulling his pants up with a grimace.

It was not awkward. It_ wasn't._

Clint joined their game, and soon the sounds of square pigs dying and blocks being broken and placed filled the room. The silence slowly eroded and playful banter was exchanged, and Clint joined Tony in his quest to fuck everyone else's shit up.

"So Tony," Clint said after another hour of gaming.

"Yeah?" the billionaire said, not really focusing on what his friend was saying. He was in the middle of stealing Bruce's stash of gold ingots.

"I noticed a distinct lack of hair on your ass. Which, considering the amount of hair on the rest of you, can only mean one thing."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "Where are you going with this, Bird Brain?"

Clint snickered, and Bruce and Steve looked at the two with interest. "Who waxes that ass of yours?"

Tony threw his controller at him.

X0x0x0x0X

It had been nearly a week since Bruce and Tony had comforted Steve and confessed their feelings for him. They had been bonding over movies and video games, something Steve had found he was strangely adept at, though he still couldn't tell you how to work a computer, despite his ability to get a twenty person killing spree in Modern Warfare Three.

The two scientists had been rather timid in their touches, only kissing or hugging him if he initiated it, and he was getting a bit fed up with their timid treatment.

It was a couple hours after the Minecraft debacle that the three were lounging on Tony's bed, having been cajoled by the billionaire to going there to 'nurse his wounded pride.' Steve was quite content, and had found himself in between the two geniuses, long arms wrapped around his torso, two heads on each side of his shoulders as they watched yet another Disney movie.

He felt a sleepy arousal, not the hot, needy kind he usually felt when confronted with the science boyfriends, but a deep, slow burn that was slowly making itself more insistent. He wasn't satisfied with just kisses and hugs anymore, and he wanted them to know that.

He started kissing Bruce, light brushes of his lips against his temple and forehead, insistent as his teeth nibbled on an earlobe, getting a surprised moan in response. The sound drew Tony's attention away from the film, and Steve's lips claimed his in a slow, heated dance. Bruce made a soft mewling noise, and Tony left Steve's lips to capture the biologists.

Steve watched the way they kissed with heated eyes, his cock thickening in his pants, his hands sliding up two separate spines, cupping two separate and equally firm asses.

"Do you have any idea how hot you look together?" he asked softly, and he was met with two brown pairs of eyes, pupils blown with arousal, and he grinned at them.

Tony was the first to break the staring contest the super soldier was holding with the two scientists, attacking Steve's throat with his mouth, wrenching a plaintive groan from kiss-bruised lips.

"Tony," Bruce admonished softly, and the billionaire pulled back reluctantly. Steve narrowed his eyes, and suddenly the last week fell into place. The hesitant touches, the kisses always drawing back before they became to heated….it made sense.

He sat up suddenly, violently, pushing the two men off him with an angry huff.

"I'm not a god damn virgin, for crying out loud," he snarled, and scooted -he had to scoot, the bed was just too damn big- off, turning to look at the two befuddled men. "I've wanted you two for _months, _and I told you that. I'm not _innocent._ When you two decide to get the fuck over yourselves, I'll be in my room, jerking myself off to sleep."

And with that, he turned heel and walked out, slamming the door behind him so hard the frame bent a tad.

X0x0x0x0X

There was silence between them for a moment, before Tony spoke.

"Was it just me, or was that incredibly hot?" he said. Bruce snorted at his lover, and smacked him lightly.

"It was hot, but I think Steve is pretty mad," he said, frowning slightly.

"Well duh, he just bent my door. That shit is made of steel," Tony said and Bruce glared at him.

"Whatya say we go make it up to him?" the biologist said, and Tony grinned.

"Okay, but we're gonna need a few things first…"

A/N: Aaaaannnd I'm running from the angry mob I'm sure is after me now for that horrible, horrible cliff hanger. I'm sorry, but I had to end it there because the next chapter is going to be nothing but a lemon. A nice, long lemon, for all of you who still haven't gotten the Epilogue for A Chemical Reaction. Reviews are my crack, so please leave some :D


	6. Chapter 6

"Really Tony, I don't think we're going to use any of this…even if he isn't a virgin, Steve is very proper about this sort of thing."

"Mhmm. And that's pretty much what you told me before, about him being innocent and how we should wait until he was ready. You got us in the dog house, Brucey."

Silence. Then;

"Fine. But if we're indulging you, we have some room to indulge me," the biologist said sourly.

Tony grinned, an odd glint in his eyes. "And just how are we going to indulge you, Dr. Banner?" he purred.

X0x0x0x0X

Steve fumed over his sketch pad, his fingers making angry lines and planes. He was incensed. Furious. Livid. Infuriated.

But more than that, he was horny.

If you really wanted to go by how long he'd been in the ice, he hadn't been laid in over seventy two years, and that was a long fucking time for anyone to go without sex. He was torn between marching upstairs to Tony's room and fucking both of them into the mattress, or just staying in his room and avoiding them until they crawled to him.

Both options would end with satisfaction, he was sure, but he didn't know how long the latter option would take, and he was just about sick of his right hand. It could do wonderful things, but it just wasn't competition for the real thing.

There was a sharp rap at the door and Steve glared at it, debating on whether or not to answer.

"Come in," he called at length, and the door clicked open to reveal a grinning Tony and a blushing Bruce. His scowl deepened and he crossed his arms over his chest, glaring daggers at the men.

"This had better be good," he said dourly, and Tony's grin widened.

"Better than good, Capcicle," the billionaire said jovially, and Steve narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the rather large brown bag Tony had in his hand. "Bruce here has come to his senses, and we're here to make sure none of us can walk right tomorrow."

Steve's scowl lightened a bit, but he was still miffed over the earlier debacle. He told himself firmly that he would need more convincing than a few words and the promise of a mysterious bag.

"Hmm. And what makes you think I'm amenable to that?" he asked, putting as much venom behind his words as he could. Bruce, however, saw right through his act, and, in an uncharacteristic move of brashness, seated himself directly on Steve's lap, winding his long arms around the super soldiers neck.

"We're sorry," he said softly, his lush lips grazing Steve's in a chaste kiss. "I'm sorry. I was the one who thought we needed to go slow with you. Forgive me?"

That damn pout and those eyes were simply too much for Steve to handle. If the kicked puppy look Bruce gazed at him with could be harnessed and weaponized, they would have a weapon of mass destruction on their hands. A soft sigh escaped Steve's lips, and he kissed Bruce gently but with force.

"You're forgiven," he muttered, and Bruce actually _purred, _a deep, vibrating rumble in his chest that sent all kinds of warm tingly feelings through Steve's chest.

Steve almost jumped out of his skin when he felt Tony's mouth on his neck, pleasant shivers running through his body at the warm, wet feeling that accompanied that sinful tongue.

"I haven't forgiven you yet," he murmured, his voice catching on a soft moan.

"Why not?" Tony murmured, licking a stripe from the hollow of Steve's throat to his earlobe, which he then nibbled on.

"Cuz you _stopped,_" Steve said, and moaned outright when Tony laved his earlobe with his tongue.

"I'm sorry, Stevie boy," Tony murmured, and paused a moment to suck a large, red hickey in the joint of Steve's shoulder and collar bone. "I promise I won't do it again," he finished, his voice rough with lust. Bruce was nibbling on Steve's lips, preventing him from responding to the billionaire, but the mumbled 'you're forgiven' was heard and understood.

"Good," Tony said, and his dark eyes were almost black with lust. "I do believe you promised us a show, Brucey."

That lovely flush was back on the biologists cheeks, and Steve frowned in confusion, giving Bruce a questioning look. The doctor's blush only deepened, and Steve gave a little whimper of loss when Bruce stood, missing the warmth of the contact.

He didn't stay cold long, however, because Tony insinuated himself into his lap, seating himself in such a way that he could easily see Bruce over the billionaire's head. Steve frowned in bemusement, looking at Tony, who was gazing at their purple shirted lover intensely. He turned his eyes to Bruce and examined the lovely flush on the doctors face, and a tight ball of lust curled in his stomach when Bruce began to unbutton his shirt.

Bruce was going to strip for them.

Steve's eyes were rapt as every new inch of skin was revealed; he'd seen Bruce shirtless plenty of times before, but never like this, never in this setting before. He gulped when the silk shirt hit the floor, his eyes devouring the tan, caramel colored skin, giving a soft gasp when Bruce closed his eyes and slid his hands over his torso, one hand pausing to pinch a nipple.

The moan that escaped Bruce's lips went straight to Steve's cock, and he bit his lip when the biologist began rubbing his hands over his hips and groin, his thumbs catching in his slacks and pushing them down, revealing his paler skin and half-hard member. Steve's eyes zeroed in on it, and he licked his lips.

"It's just as tasty as it looks," Tony growled in his ear, and the super soldier suppressed a moan, his hips rocking up once, his hardness grinding against the billionaires thigh.

Bruce was looking at them with half lidded eyes, and Steve could tell he was putting this show on not just for them, but for himself. The way his cock was slowly rising to full hardness without him even touching it was attesting to that.

He kicked off his shoes and slacks, standing in front of them naked and proud. His hands slid over his torso and hips once more, and he fisted himself briefly, stroking slowly, leisurely. Steve was once again hit with the realization that Bruce was doing this for himself.

The biologist reached into the mysterious brown bag and pulled out a bottle of clear lube and a rather large, pink thing shaped like a penis.

_A dildo,_ Steve realized, blinking. He'd heard plenty of jokes about dildos before, but he'd never actually seen one…he jolted slightly, his hips thrusting against Tony as he remembered what a dildo was _for_, and he just about had a heart attack.

Tony noticed his jolt, and he began whispering filthy things in Steve's ear as Bruce laid on the bed, long legs open and bent at the knee, placing a pillow under his hips.

"Bruce just loves to show off like this," Tony murmured, his breath hot against Steve's ear. "He loves to know someone's watching while he jerks off. It gets him hot to know someone can see the look of ecstasy on his face while he fucks himself."

Steve groaned, his eyes fluttering briefly before refocusing on Bruce. The man was stroking himself slowly, his hand gliding up and down effortlessly on the shaft, and Steve marveled at the girth. It wasn't overly large, but it was impressively thick, and he found himself wondering what it would feel like in his mouth. Saliva gathered in his mouth, and his fingers tightened around Tony's hips, drawing him closer as he watched Bruce's hand play with his balls, weighing them in his hand and squeezing before delving behind them, teasing his entrance with little flicks and twitches of his fingertips.

"He looks so hot doing that," Steve murmured, licking his lips. Tony growled softly in agreement, shifting so that his ass was firmly pressed against Steve's groin and aching hardness, making them both moan.

Bruce's eyes flicked over to them, and, looking directly at them, he slipped two slicked fingers into himself and moaned.

Steve groaned again, thrusting up against Tony, his hips having a mind of their own. Bruce began stretching himself, thrusting onto his own fingers and giving off needy little whimpers and moans that had both men watching panting and aching. Steve wrapped a firm arm around Tony's waist and pulled him closer as he unbuttoned his jeans, his hands diving into the fabric to wrap around the billionaires member. Tony gave a soft little whimper of need and ground his ass against the super soldier.

Bruce had added another finger and was using his free hand to lube the dildo, and without much ceremony or teasing -he was too far gone for that, focused only on his pleasure- thrust it into his open channel and let out a half scream that went straight to Steve's cock.

He wasn't going to last long, and neither were they, and the frantic pace of Steve's stroking and Tony's frotting increased.

Bruce's eyes met theirs, saw the image they made together, and his back arched, his mouth opening in a silent cry as he painted white stripes across his torso. Tony followed him, Steve's stimulation too much for him, and the feeling of his orgasm had Steve following close behind.

It was the most glorious moment of Steve's life.

A/N: There it is, my first attempt at a threesome. Don't hate me too much.

Also, I was mauled by a rabid plot bunny and...there is much angst in the future for our boys. And probably a sequel, that will be SuperFamily...


	7. Chapter 7

Bruce was exceedingly happy. More so than he had ever been in his life, and he had made it a point to tell his lovers that this morning. Steve and Tony had shared their 'poor Bruce' look, but before the biologist could voice his displeasure at their pity, they had dragged him to the room they had been sharing for the past three months and lavished him with kisses and vigorous lovemaking. That had been nearly six hours ago, and he'd only managed to escape to the kitchen, leaving his lovers sleeping and entangled with each other.

He smiled softly as he recalled the image the pair made, Tony's leg flung over Steve's torso as the super soldier nuzzled into the pillow, his arm flung out on the other side where Bruce had been laying. They made a pretty picture, Tony's tan skin contrasting sharply against Steve's paler complexion.

He sipped the coffee he had just made, leaning against the kitchen counter as he squinted at his notebook. The lack of glasses made it slightly harder to read his illegible scrawl than usual, and he made a mental note to work on his penmanship, even though he knew that would never happen.

"Whoa there doctor, that's a nasty love bite you got there," Clint said with a grin as he strolled into the kitchen, a Weinersnitchel bag in hand. "Tony keep you locked up in his room all day?"

Bruce flushed brightly, turning a shade of scarlet that he didn't know was possible on a human. Steve walked in after Clint, shirtless, several fading hickeys visible on his neck and chest. Bruce flushed even brighter, turning away to face the counter, his heart doing an odd _rat-tat-tat _in his chest.

"Both of us did," Steve said to Clint matter-of-factly, wrapping his arms around Bruce from behind loosely. Bruce stiffened; they had come to an agreement, after that first time together, that they wouldn't reveal that Steve was in a relationship with them. As comfortable as he was being openly gay, he wasn't comfortable revealing he was in a three way love relationship.

"Steve, what-" he started, only to have a hand cover his mouth. The super solider chuckled softly, kissing his neck tenderly.

"I'm ready for people to know," he murmured softly, and Bruce turned to look into those baby blues he loved so much, a smile spreading across his face. His eyes flicked over to Clint, who was staring at them with interest but not surprise.

"I saw you guys having lab sex," he said with a shrug, as if that explained everything. Which, it kind of did, Bruce thought with a small smile.

Steve looked slightly mortified, and glared at Bruce. "I _told _you that was a bad idea; but did you listen? Did Tony listen?" he said, glaring but it was softened by a smile. Bruce grinned bashfully.

"You weren't complaining after," he teased, and kissed Steve, quickly and chastely, but conveying all his love and admiration.

"Ugh. Seriously, get a room you guys. I'm sure Tony misses you," Clint said in disgust, but his eyes were glimmering with mirth. He was happy for them, even if he would never admit it.

X0x0x0x0X

"I'd like to have kids someday," Steve said one nigh, some weeks after the three of them had come out as a…threesome? That simple comment had Bruce's mind shooting in a direction it had visited several times over the years, and had been his pet project under the gamma radiation study.

"Kids, hmm? We'd have to adopt or else do the artificial insemination thing," Tony said, nuzzling tighter against Steve's chest. Bruce looked over at the billionaire across Steve's torso, tracing patterns on the taught muscle of his abdomen, calculations and possibilities running through his head.

"I wouldn't mind adopting," Steve said, and his eyes were slightly far away. "There are a lot of kids that never go to good homes…"

"What do you think, Brucey?" Tony asked, poking the biologist with a smile. Bruce smiled at him, looking at Steve's chest intently as he drew the schematics for his newest project in his mind.

"I'd love to have kids," he murmured. "I'd love to have a child that had a little bit of all of us in it…"

"Well, that'd be a bit difficult to fit in one kid," Tony said, watching Bruce's doodling fingers with a frown.

"Not if I can help it," Bruce muttered, and Tony recognized his 'science' look.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, frowning. He giggled softly and squirmed as Bruce's long fingers grazed a ticklish spot on his stomach.

Bruce smiled slightly, and grazed that spot again, intentionally and with malice. "Oh…just a little project I've worked on for the past few years… I once bred a mouse who had four different genetic parents," he said, and Steve wiggled away from his tickling fingers.

"Oh," Steve said, giggling and gasping as Tony joined the battle with his fingers, holding the super soldiers shoulders down.

"That's amazing. Why did I never hear about that?" Tony demanded as he went for a particularly soft spot on Steve's side. The captain squealed indignantly and squirmed away from Tony's fingers only to come in contact with Bruce's.

"I wasn't supposed to be doing it," Bruce said, and he straddled Steve to keep his legs from kicking around, and attacked with the intent to steal the captains breath away. "When I started my research, the government kindly told me to knock it off, so I never documented my research or experiments."

"That's disappointing. You should definitely take it up again, especially if that means we can have a kid who has all of us in him," Tony said, getting a gleam in his eye as he attacked Steve's other side in tandem with Bruce. The super soldier was a giggling, gasping mess at this point.

"How can you two talk science when you're killing me?" he wheezed, squirming and bucking, trying to escape the tickling fingers with a desperation that only the truly tickled can display.

"Because, family is important, Steve," Tony said cheekily, and the super soldier bucked hard enough to unseat them both, easily holding Tony down as he tried to find a ticklish spot on the billionaire. Bruce, not one to pick sides, joined right in and helped Steve locate the spot just behind Tony's knee that reduced the billionaire to helpless giggles.

X0x0x0x0X

It was after a particularly gruesome battle with a Lex Luther impersonator that Bruce had a breakthrough; he realized he had been splicing the DNA _all wrong. _He rushed to the lab, foregoing his usual after battle shower, not even bothering to put on a shirt.

His hands flew over syringes and microscopes, his fingers caressing the artificial womb he and Tony had spent so much time developing and testing. He looked into the microscope as he carefully withdrew the genetic material of the female egg he was working with, inserting Steve's DNA instead.

Now came the tricky part; mixing his and Tony's genetic material into one sperm that would carry an equal enough of themselves to fertilize the egg. He spent an hour mixing the DNA until it was finally stable enough to put into the little 'sperm carrier' Tony had developed. It had been a stroke of engineering genius, and Tony had quickly acquired several nanobot patents. Right now though, the small device's only goal was to deliver Tony and Bruce's genetic material into the waiting egg.

Bruce waited with bated breath, his eyes glued to the microscope as the sperm wormed its way into the egg, an act he had watched probably a thousand times before, but never with such high hopes riding.

Tony had joined him several hours into his work, and had been fiddling with DUM-E in the corner until this moment. Now he watched, just as tense as Bruce, as the sperm penetrated the egg.

"I think… I think you did it, Brucey," Tony murmured in wonder. Bruce thought so too, privately, but he wasn't going to voice it now, not when he could jinx it.

"We won't know that for days yet," he admonished Tony, and he inserted the fertilized egg into the artificial womb, smiling slightly.

X0x0x0x0X

A few days later, however, Bruce was absolutely ecstatic. The egg had gone through meiosis and was developing rapidly; their child had taken, was growing safely inside the womb Bruce and Tony had made so meticulously, and he informed Steve and Tony of this on the sixth day.

All the other experiments had failed by now, degraded or too unstable to progress further. Bruce was confident that this time, this child would be born.

Steve was the most exuberant, picking Bruce up by the waist and spinning him around.

"We're going to have a baby!" he crowed, jumping up and down and lavishing Bruce and Tony with happy kisses. Bruce couldn't stop smiling, and Tony was hugging the both of them, and their happiness seemed to saturate the entire tower, lending an air of happiness to all the other Avengers.

A month into the 'pregnancy' the happy fathers decided to inform the other Avengers. Thor was the loudest in his approval.

"A great and happy announcement you bring us!" the thunder god said, grinning from ear to ear. "A child of yours will be the star of our family; Lady Natasha, you must bless us with a child as well. Their child must not be without friends!"

Natasha had actually blushed at this, while Tony and Clint cackled, the archer grinning laviciously at the redhead. She had chucked her coffee cup at his head while Bruce patted her back consolingly, and Steve had just stood there blushing awkwardly, too happy to join in the good natured ribbing of Natasha. That, and he was frankly too terrified of the woman for his own good.

None of them knew that this was one of the last happy moments they would have for a long, long time.

A/N: One more chapter folks...and it will not be a happy ending.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the day after their announcement that the Luther impersonator broke out of his jail cell and came after the Avengers with everything he had; to say that the man was insane was putting it lightly. He had a small army of fully reticulated destructo bots that vaguely resembled the Hammer Drones Tony had fought before the Avengers had formed, only they were a lot smarter and deadlier.

"Tango on your six, Cap," Tony said into his com, firing his repulsor at a bot that was trying to creep up on his blind side.

"Thanks Iron Man," Steve replied as he flung his shield, decapitating the bot. That seemed to be the only real way to kill them off for good, because they had this creepy automated regeneration that made them nearly impossible to fight.

"Who's up for some ping pong after this?" Clint said, lazily shooting his explosive arrow tips into the necks of several bots, his hands almost blurring as he dispatched the rounds.

"I am eager for this game of pong," Thor responded, and then gave a mighty shout as he crushed a bot with his hammer.

"I'm down," Tony said as he flew near Hulk, trying to get the green menace back on track. He had been smashing the same bot for a few minutes, and as effective as that was, the thing was well and truly vanquished.

"We need to take down the transmitter," Steve said into the com, leaping his way over smashed cars and rubble. Tony shadowed him from the air, and the Hulk meandered after him, near Steve but not too close.

Natasha, who had been mostly quiet during the battle, let out a triumph as the bots suddenly powered down. She was standing atop the building the Luther impersonator had made his home base, the man tied and laying at her feet.

"And that, boys, is how it's _done,_" she said with a grin. The rest of the team assembled around her, grinning and congratulating her for her quick victory.

The Luther impersonator was surprisingly quiet; as they led him down to the waiting Quinjet, no vows of revenge or retaliation spewed from his lips as they had the last time. He didn't even seem offended that they were discussing the pros and cons of regular ping pong versus the three D ping pong Tony had set up in the game room.

He should have sensed something was horribly wrong. He should have known that the silence of the Luther was a warning. He should have patted him down for weapons before they took him from the building in the first place.

It happened in less than three seconds. The Luther yanked himself out of Thor's grip, and drew a small, compact gun that looked like some sort of laser device, aiming it at Tony. The Hulk, who had been close to Tony since he landed, roughly shoved the Iron Man out of the way, taking the brunt of the small, blue beam of light in the chest.

When Tony extricated himself from the rubble Hulk had thrown him into, Steve was in hysterics, Natasha was holding a knife to the Luther's throat, Clint and Thor were trying to console Steve and the Luther was cackling like a mad man.

The Hulk was nowhere to be seen.

Slowly, he made his way to the Luther, a cold, dead rage growing in his chest. Logically, he knew that the fallout from killing a villain would be way more than his death was worth. But even as he thought that, he knew that he would take all the bad press on his shoulders, because he could handle it. Because Natasha would get relocated, Thor would get punished, Steve would regret it, and Clint didn't need any more guilt on his conscience.

Because he didn't care.

"Where is Bruce?" he said quietly, flipping his face plate up, his brown eyes hard and cold. The Luther laughed.

"Don't know. Maybe he's somewhere else. Maybe he's not. But he's probably dead!"

Tony nodded, once. Then, faster than he ever had before, he raised his hand and fired his repulsor, sending as much power as he could into the blast. It made a nice, neat hole in the Luther's forehead, and he smiled viciously.

With that done, he looked around at his team, feeling suddenly, brutally empty. He thought he might be in shock; but even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't true. He locked eyes with Steve and he _knew. _Bruce was gone. Their trio was no longer a trio; they would never snuggle up to the scientist after a long day. They would never hear his laugh again, never feel his tender touch when one of them woke from a nightmare.

He felt tears streaming down his cheeks, hot and blinding, and he heard the thump of metal as he fell to his knees, feeling the ache distantly. He felt…hollow. Like someone had taken his arc reactor out and then proceeded to rid him of the rest of his organs.

The last thing he remembered before darkness descended on him was Steve, tears in his beautiful blue eyes, wrapping his strong arms around him. Then, blissfully, there was nothing.

X0x0x0x0X

The funeral service they held was small, unpublicized, and consisted only of the Avengers, Director Fury and Agent Coulson. The coffin was ornate, made completely of oak and painted a brilliant purple. Steve and Tony threw the first handful of dirt onto the coffin together, and dropped two white roses onto the casket before stepping back.

Tony cried silently through the entire service, the voices of his fellow teammates droning in his ears as he stared into the hole that held nothing; because there hadn't even been dust left of Bruce. That was probably what hurt the most. There hadn't even been a body that they could cry over and shake and caress one last time.

When it was his turn to speak, his voice was shaky, and he continued to stare at the coffin.

"Bruce Banner is…was a great man. He was selfless, and kind, and even his counterpart, Hulk, was nothing but a giant softie; albeit one with a horrible temper." A few chuckles. He continued. "But more than that, he showed me a love truer than any I had ever known; when I was sad, he would comfort me. When I was afraid, he would hold me. And when I needed something -no matter what it was- he would…he would find a way to give it to me."

He took a deep breath, swallowing a few times before he could continue. "He was taken away from us entirely too soon. I think I speak for all of us when I say that a key part of our team is missing now…but the most tragic of all, is that Bruce's son, Steve's son…my son, will have to grow up not knowing one of the greatest men who ever lived."

A smattering of applause met the end of his speech, and he stepped away from the small podium, finding himself wrapped in Steve's arms once again. The tears refused to cease flowing, and he was shaking slightly. Steve murmured soft words in his ear, promises of shwarma and movies and popcorn, and Tony sobbed, burying his face in the blue silk of the super soldiers suit.

X0x0x0x0X

Tony threw a fit when Fury tried to give them a new team member. It was some girl, a woman who dressed in T-shirts and skinny jeans and couldn't have been more than twenty. She was powerful in her own right, a team player, and had quite a good reputation super hero wise.

Tony couldn't stand her.

"I don't want that bitch in my tower!" Tony screeched, throwing something heavy in the general direction of Fury. "It's my house, she can't stay here, she isn't a part of this team!"

"Stark, that isn't your decision to make!" Fury growled out, losing his normally calm demeanor. He was living up to his name, so full of rage was he.

"You can't replace him!" Tony screamed back, and his brown eyes were wild. "You can't replace Bruce! _I won't let you!_"

The woman stepped forward, and her green eyes were full of sadness and empathy. It made Tony hate her more.

"I could never replace him," she said quietly. "I would never want to. I'm just here to make sure no one else get hurt."

Tony cried.

X0x0x0x0X

Two months passed, and Tony and Steve had taken to sitting in front of the artificial womb, just watching their son grow. In the beginning, Steve tried to hold Tony when they did this, tried to kiss him and lavish him with love. Tony would never accept the kisses or caresses, pulling away, his eyes haunted and empty.

Steve knew Tony was going through something horrible; he could only imagine what he would feel like if it had been him whom the Hulk had taken that shot for. He wouldn't want tender touches, that was for sure.

He knew something must be horribly wrong when Jarvis politely asked him to go to the lab in the middle of his shower. It was a quiet alert he had set up with the AI to inform him if either Bruce or Tony needed help and were unable to ask for it. He didn't ask what had happened, just shut the water off and shoved his legs into the pants he had laid out and rushed out of his room to the lab.

He paused at the door, looking through the clear glass. Tony was sitting there, at the artificial womb, and it looked like he was talking to their unborn child. He almost turned away, not wanting to intrude on the private moment, but the open bottle of whiskey near Tony made him pause.

There was definitely something off about this scene…

X0x0x0x0X

"Your dad, Bruce, he was a great man," Tony said, his words slightly slurred as he sipped his drink. "Better than I ever was. Or ever could be. H-he was pure and loving and kind…me, I just ruin everything…including him. You know that? Peter. I'm going to call you Peter. I found his private journal last night. He said he wanted to call you Peter, so that's what we're gonna call you. Peter Banner. Maybe Banner-Rogers. Not Stark. You don't need my last name. it'll just ruin you, Pete."

He took another long draught of whiskey, his hand tightening on the small revolver in his grip. He had had it for years. It was usually just there so he knew there was a way out if he ever needed it, and escape if everything became too much for him.

He needed it now.

"I'm going to fix that though, Pete. I'm gonna make sure you never get ruined. I… I love you. I love you even though I don't know you, and I hope you know I'm doing this for you. So you can be safe, because I destroy everything I love… you'll have Steve and Clint and Natasha and Thor, and they'll love you and take care of you and you'll never want for anything… I had my will rewritten as soon as I knew you were on your way, and you'll inherit everything when you're ready for it, or not at all if you don't want it," he said, his fingers caressing the warm metal that was protecting his son from the world for now.

There would be no one to protect him from Tony, though, when he was born. That's why he had to do this. His son had to be protected, if nothing else. It should have been him who died, not Bruce. They could have gone on without him, Bruce and Steve and Peter. They would have made a better family; Bruce would have been a better father.

He raised the gun to his temple, closing his eyes as he did so. He was sure when he pulled the trigger, he would be going straight to Hell, and he was okay with that. He deserved to be there. He was a monster; he was responsible for the death of a selfless, honest, lovable man and he deserved to burn for it.

He was seconds away from pulling the trigger when the gun was ripped out of his hand and he was slammed, hard, into a nearby counter. He opened his eyes to see an enraged Steve glaring at him, his teeth bared and his blue eyes sparking with anger.

"What the _fuck, _Tony?!" he growled, his hands tight around the billionaire's wrists, bruising. "Were you actually going to kill yourself?"

Tony, drunk and a bit terrified in the face of all that anger, could only nod mutely, swallowing past the lump in his throat.

Steve seemed to shrink a bit at his confirmation, and sadness mixed in with his anger.

"Tony…Tony, why?" Steve said, softer, broken.

"I….it should have been me, Steve. It should have been me," Tony whispered, looking away from those hurt blue eyes, his vision going blurry with tears. He was so tired of crying, but it seemed like the only thing he could do anymore…

Steve made a small, broken sound and suddenly Tony found himself nearly crushed in the super soldiers embrace. "Tony. Tony, Tony, Tony, no. What happened, happened and there is nothing either of us can do to change it. You can't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault, and killing yourself won't bring him back…it will only leave me alone. It will take away another father from our child, and he's already missing one, Tony."

Tony sobbed quietly into Steve's chest, shivering and trembling with exhaustion, sorrow and pain. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know any other way…"

"Tony, you are the most idiotic genius I know… of course there is another way. Stay with me. Stay with our son. Our _family, _Tony. Bruce wouldn't want you to join him so soon after him. He would want you to live, to grow and to raise our child," Steve said urgently, cupping Tony's cheek, making him look the super soldier in the eye.

"Peter," Tony murmured, tears streaming down his flushed cheeks. "He wanted to name him Peter."

"Then we'll name him Peter," Steve said with a nod, smiling. "And you _will _be there for him, Tony. For me. I love you."

Tony choked slightly, and his fingers went up to tangle into Steve's hair.

"I love you too," he said, his fingers digging into soft skin and shoulders. "I love you too."

Fin

A/N: And that's it for A Primal Reaction, my dearies. Fear not, however; there will be a sequel by name of An Amazing Reaction, and it will be Superfamily, focusing slightly on Spideypool, and maybe the return of someone we all love. Also, if you like BatmanxJoker, be on the lookout for A Quiet Interlude, my first foray into the DC universe. Thanks for hanging on, my lovelies, and I hope you enjoyed the ride.

Oh, and one more thing. I've decided to do several snippets out of our trios' lives together, and will be taking requests from three people as to what the snippets should be about. First review, first serve and all that, and I will be tacking the snippets onto THIS story so follow it if you want to know when they're added.

-Devient


	9. Outtake 1: For cookiechris80

It started with a sniffle. Bruce noticed it first, as he and Tony spent hours upon hours in the lab with one another that it could almost be considered unhealthy. Almost, because Steve would always rescue them, at one point or another, from themselves. They had been working steadily over a new bot, one that had two fully jointed five fingered hands, and Tony had sniffled exactly five times in the past hour, and he kept wiping his nose with his wrist.

Bruce, having been around enough sick people to notice the symptoms of a cold, raised an eyebrow at his lover after the sixth sniffle and wiping of the nose.

"Are you feeling alright Iron Science?" he asked mildly, his brow furrowed with concern even as he smiled at the nickname.

Tony waved his hand vaguely and nodded, waving his screwdriver about as he tweaked something in the joints of the robot. "Fine, fine. Healthy as a horse. Hand me that soldering gun, yeah?"

Bruce's frown deepened, but he said nothing further on the subject as he an Tony worked on the bot, pointedly ignoring any further sniffles, knowing that pressing the subject would only make Tony angry and put him on the defensive.

X0x0x0x0X

The next day brought a light cough that Steve noticed in the kitchen as Tony putted about his expresso machine. He sniffed, twice, and then covered his mouth as he coughed, relatively gently but for far longer than could be considered a tickle in his throat.

"You feeling okay?" Steve asked, his brow furrowed in concern as he wrapped an arm around his lover.

"Great, just got a scratch in my throat," Tony said, worming his way out of the other mans grip. Steve frowned, but let the subject drop. If Tony wanted to ignore his budding cold, far be it from Steve to deny him that. He, of all people, understood what it meant to feel vulnerable because of a sickness, and how much someone could resent feeling that way.

X0x0x0x0X

Two more days passed, and the sniffles turned into a clogged nose that allowed no air through Tony's nasal passage, and a deep, chest rattling cough that had both Steve and Bruce on edge.

Tony had just dropped his screwdriver when a fit of coughing overcame him for the third time in an hour, and Bruce had had enough. He snatched the screwdriver away when Tony retrieved it, and insinuated himself in between the billionaire and his new bot.

"That's it, Tony. I'm tired of watching you cough and hobble around like you're not sick. We're going upstairs and I'm going to take care of you or I'm going to drag your happy ass to the emergency room and _they _can deal with you," the scientist threatened.

Tony opened his mouth to protest, but was overtaken by another coughing fit, and Bruce wrapped his arms around Tony's shoulders and led him out of the lab.

He managed to maneuver the billionaire into his room and settle him in the bed the three of them shared, and kissed his forehead gently.

"You stay put, I'm going to make you some soup. Don't even think about sneaking back to the lab either, because Jarvis will tell on you, won't you Jarvis?" Bruce said.

"Quite right, Master Banner," the AI responded, and Tony half-heartedly glared at the ceiling.

"Traitor," he muttered, but he snuggled under the covers, lying on his side in a way Bruce knew he only resorted to when injured or sick.

The doctor made his way to the kitchen and smiled as he met Steve there. "Hey," he said and Steve grinned at him.

"You two come up for air?" he asked jovially over a bowl of…something.

"For a while, yeah. Tony's sick and I've banned him from the lab. I was just about to make him some soup."

Steve's grin was even brighter and he gestured to the covered pot that sat, steaming quietly, on the stove. "I figured today would be the breaking point. I made it special; my mom used to make it for me when I was sick," he said with a soft smile.

Bruce smiled at him and hugged the super soldier around the waist. "Have I told you lately that I love you?" he murmured.

"Yes, but it's always nice to hear," Steve replied and they got a bowl of soup and took it up to Tony. The billionaire complained and vowed that he was fine, but he made no move to escape the warm cocoon the two other men made around him, and didn't even protest when Steve spoon fed him.

Hours later, when the three of them lay together under the covers, Tony spoke. "If I had known getting sick would get me this much attention, I would have done it sooner."

They shared a laugh and a kiss despite Tony's protests of 'No I'll get you sick.'

It was their own personal patch of heaven.


End file.
